Garment rack



A. PASCOO GARMENT RACK Nov. 18, 1947.

Filed April 17, 1945 0 s R Y O o E Mx N R E J m mp fm X M Y A e \`\``\1"""1""` -l liu Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT RACK i Alex lascoo, New Yorln. Y. Application April 17, 1945, serial -No."ss,781 f V1 claim. (oigan-fst) This invention relates to improvements in hat and coat racks for chairs.

One of the important features of the invention resides in a hat and coat rack attachment for chairs used in restaurants and other public places for supporting the hat and coat of the occupants of the respective chairs,4 thus eliminating the necessity of checking the customers hats and coats and in many instances having a customer monopolize an eXtra chair by `placing his hat and coat thereon. l

Another feature of the invention is to Vprovide a rack which is concealed at the back of the chair when not in use, but `which may be readily raised to a position of use above the back of the chair to support a full length coat free of the floor.

A furtherr feature of the invention is the provision of a rack including a foldingcoat hanger which automatically opens to functioning position When the rack is lifted to a position of use, and which automatically folds into a compact concealed position when the rack is lowered to a non-use position.Y Y

Other features of the invention are to provide a hat andcoat rack which may be attached to chairs now in use; which when installed `does not -detractfr'om the appearance of the chair; which is relatively inexpensive of construction and installation; and which may be safely actuated by a customer with average intelligence.

Other novel features of the invention will readily become apparent as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a rear elevational View, partly in section, showing my hat and coat rack in nonfunctioning position upon the back of a chair.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the rack in the position illustrated in Figure 1, a portion being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view illustrating the rack in raised position for use, the dot and dash lines indicating a hat and coat in supported position thereon.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, with portions of the chair omitted,

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 but showing the hanger arms in position of use in full lines and in folded non-use position in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawing by reference charactors, the `numeral I Il designates my hatand coat rack attachment in its entirety and includes a verticaltubular housing Il into which a staff member' I2= slidably telescopes toa position of non-usewithin-the housing or to a'raised extended position therebeyond. The housing Il and member I2 aresquare in cross section to prevent turning relative to each other and are preferably constructed of light metal, although they may be formed of plastic.

-The tubular housing II is vattached to the back of la chair A and for effecting such attachment, the 'sameis Aprovided with sets of outwardly extending earsl 3.-I3v having Vholes I4-I 4 through which screws l5 pass for threading into the back of' the chair `A. The stai member I2 is of a length to fully telescopewithin the housing I I as best illustrated in Figures l, 2, 4 and 5, and to cooperate with the .housing when in raised extended position to support a full length coat in hanging position short of the floor.

For limitingtthe downward sliding movement of .the staff-'member I2, the upper end of the same vis provided with a `forwardly extending hook-like element I6 which engages the upper endof the housingv as best seen in Figure 4. The element-l6 is also used as a finger grip to facilitate.`the lifting-of the stal member to its raised position of use.

' Means is provided for locking the staff member vin raised position and which embodies a catch member Il pivoted to therear wall of the housing as at I8. The catch memberincludes a manipulating arm I9 from which a bill 2D eX- tends at right angle through a horizontal slot 2l provided in the 'housing Il. A spring 22 carried by the pivot I8 acts to bias the catch member to cause the bill 28 to move inwardly and the manipulating arm I8 to move outwardly, therefore the free end of the bill presses against the staff member until such time in the raising thereof that a horizontal slot 23 in the stai member alines with the bill, at which time the bill enters the slot 23 and locks the staff member in raised position as illustrated in Figure 3.

The upper end of the staff member I2 has its sides open to form a recess 24 for a pair of foldable channel-shaped hanger arms 25-25. The inner ends of the hanger arms are hinged to a common pivot pin 26. For reenforcing purposes, the arms 25--25 are provided with right angle side flanges 2l. The free ends of the arms 25-25 terminate in hooks 28. When the staff member I2 is in lowered position the arms 25-25 assume a position in parallel as shown in Figure 5 with the hooked ends 28 resting upon the top edges of the housing II and disposed in abutting relation with a cross pin 29 at the extreme upper end of the staff member.

When the staff member I2 is lifted to a raised position of use as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the arms 25-25 automatically drop to an opposed extended position. Downward swinging movement of the arms 25--25 is limited by the free edges of the flanges 21-27 coming to rest upon the top edges of the opposed side walls of the staff member. As the hinged ends of the folded arms 25-25 clear the top of the housing, the same automatically drop due to the fact thai; they are overbalanced by the hook ends 28-28.

When the staif member I2 is raised and locked in its position of use, a coat B of the occupant of the chair A may be hung upon the outwardly extending arms 25--25 which cooperate to f-orm a coat hanger. A hat C may be hung upon the extreme upper end of the stal member I2. Thus the hat and coat, which may be the property of the occupant of the chair A, is close at hand and may be watched during occupancy of the chair to avoid loss by theft. If desired the hanger loop of a coat may be engaged with a hook 28 and the coat supported in such position.

Upon leaving the chair A, the former occupant removes his hat and coat, from the hanger and presses upon the arm I9 of the catch member I'I, causing the bill 29 to be withdrawn from the slot 23, whereupon the Weight of the staff member causes it to drop and telescope within the housing I I. As the staff member I2 drops, the flanges 21 of the arms 25 strike the top edge of the housing which swings the arms upwardly into folded parallel position within the recess 24. The hat and coat hanger is now in non-use position but readily available for use by the next occupant of the chair.

Should the former occupant of a chair fail to lower the hat and coat hanger after leaving the chair, the same may be lowered by the waiter or other attendant of the establishmentinwhich the device is installed.

While I have shown and described what I oonsider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes in constructi-on, design, and materials as come within the scope of the appended Vclaim may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit :of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I Vclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters said member cannot rotate in the housing, said member having a projecting hook at its upper end to enable it to be raised, and to engage the top of the housing when the staff member is lowered, releasable catch means on the housing for engaging the staff member in raised position and holding it in lowered position, a folding coat hanger carried by the upper end of the staff member, said folding coat hanger comprising a pair of opposed arms pivoted to said staff member, the top edges of the staff member limiting the downward swinging movement of said arms when the same are swung to hanger forming position when the staff member is in raised position, the upper end of the staff member having recesses in its sides for receiving the arms when the same are swung upward as the staff member is moved from projecting position to lowered position when liberated by the releasable catch means, the ends of the arms being hook-shaped to support garments when distended and to engage the top of the housing when the staff with said arms is lowered into same.

ALEX PASCOO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 622,000 Greene Mar. 28, 1899 1,045,684 De Arment Nov. 26, 1912 1,865,757 Honsowetz July 5, 1932 2,255,973 Hoobler Sept. 16, 1941 768,363 Harrell Aug. 23, 1904 1,042,262 Pelletier Oct. 22, 1912 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 310,584 Great Britain May 2, 1929 

